Abusing And Addicted To Ambien

Ambien Addiction

People who are dealing with a problem of acute insomnia often find themselves with a prescription for a powerful sedative identified as Ambien. Abusing the drug for more than 14 days can lead to dependence on it.

Ambien is placed in the class of drugs known as sedative-hypnotics. Though Ambien does not belong to the benzodiazepine "z-drug" class, it displays the same medical results as benzodiazepines such as Xanax but is not as dangerous or known to form serious dependency effects as benzodiazepines do.

Ambien the not have the habit-forming qualities of benzos though it can be classified as an addictive substance.

One can develop reliance on Ambien despite the fact that people don't depend on it like other drugs in the same group. Many people fail to realise that they are dealing with the problem, unless they refrain from taking the drug and come across difficulties with sleeping.

Users hardly notice they are addicted to Ambien until they try to sleep without taking it and then reality hits when they can't fall asleep. When people start to experience the side effects of quitting a drug, they realize how addicted they were to the drug.

An Ambien Dependent Person will also Exhibit the following:

Refilling prescriptions unusually often

Repeatedly taking larger doses than prescribed

Always wishing to take the drug

Engaging in dangerous situations without any memory of them later

Spending large amounts of money on the drug

Remaining isolated from family and friends

Most Ambien addictions begin with a simple case of short-term insomnia. Some users underestimate the addictive potential of Ambien because it's prescribed by a doctor and they only use it to help them sleep.

The effects of Ambien start decreasing after taking it for more than a couple weeks. By this time, they cannot sleep at all without the drug and will need more dosage to fall asleep.

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Knowledge Of Ambien

Ambien is the brand name of zolpidem. Ambien sleep inducing properties have been popularized so much that it has become the drug of the pop industry. It is essentially prescribed as a short-term treatment for insomnia. Ambien is taken by mouth as a small, oblong tablet or as an extended-release tablet. Some who are addicted to Ambien prefer to crush it and inhale the powder to hit a stronger high. Zombie pills, tic-tacs, no-go's, sleepeasy and A-minus are the slang terms for Ambien.

Ambien was marketed mainly as an alternative to Benzodiazepines, such as Halcion, which are known for their addictive potential and other side effects. The manufacturers of Ambien claimed that this drug was safer and less addictive than the others.

Doctors still say Ambien has the potential to become addictive the more an individual uses. In 2015, addiction specialist Dr. Michael Weaver published a report on sedative abuse in which he said, "Non-benzodiazepine z-drugs are also very popular and prone to many of the same problems as benzodiazepines."

Ambien is a schedule IV controlled material. The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) believe people do not treat Ambien as a recreation drug. Despite this, many users have abused the drug for its euphoric and hallucinatory effects.

Ambien Misuse Effects

Taking Ambien without a prescription or in any way not directed by a doctor is abuse. Ingesting an extra pill to help you get to sleep is also considered as abuse. The addicted person requires larger doses to fall asleep once they build a tolerance to Ambien.

This tolerance causes the user to need a bigger dose in order to fall asleep, they illegally give themselves higher dosages.

The medication is supposed to be taken just before one sleeps, but, you find people consuming it at all times of the day. Overconfidence and vulnerability and dangers are not existent in an individual's actions.

Just because Ambien has a less risk of overdose than other benzodiazepines does not make it any safer to get addicted to. The symptoms of overdose are similar to the effects of the drug, therefore, it might be difficult to detect an Ambien overdose.

Ambien can slow a user's breathing and / or heart rate to the point of failure because it is a potent central nervous system depressant. The resultant effects could be a fatal overdose. Someone with slow abnormal breathing or faint heartbeat could be on an Ambien overdose.

Some Typical Drug Combinations

Alcohol is the substance that is most commonly used with Ambien. Exceeding the recommended dose to overcome insomnia becomes the norm for those who don't feel the effects of the drug as they had done previously. Others believe mixing Ambien with alcohol will make it work faster. Mixing alcohol with Ambien is hazardous because both are central nervous system depressants.

Some people have also used Ambien by combining it with benzos like Valium.

The risks of combining benzos with Ambien are similar to combining these drugs with alcohol with the most dangerous substances at hand.

Ambien Misuse And The Stats

Recovering from Ambien addiction begins with a medically assisted detox. The problems that arise from quitting the drug and falling back on the drug can all be eliminated if you follow the program to remove the toxin from your life. A number of inpatient rehab centres or outpatient clinics can provide resources for the detox along with counselling to understand the behaviours which can lead to the use of Ambien. If you're ready to quit, call us now on 0800 772 3971 to find out your treatment options.